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Reaching Across The Aisle
Another day, another rainstorm. Despite the driving downpour and the unsettled wind, goods still wound their way down the road, a main artery that terminated in the resurgent village of Amegakure. Nonetheless, as carts continued to clatter along, two cloaked figures were going in the opposite direction. One whistled cheerfully as they went along. "You're in a good mood," the taller of the two noted. Neither of them seemed bothered by the miserable conditions. "Of course! We either have new friends or the mandate to ; it's a win-win situation!" their partner responded. They continued their whistling as the two sauntered along. "So what do you think will happen? Will they be friendly? Or will we be bringing out the bodybags? Uncle TK bought me some for my birthday and I've been itching to use them. Now that most of the nasties are gone, there's no one to use them on." The taller one paused for a second, before sniffing the air. "Depends on how desperate they are and how that desperation works. It could mean they're willing to cut a deal that gets them on the right side of surviving and new friends. Or it could mean they'll do something stupid that sends them to the next world." They smiled sardonically. "We'll see how this goes." They nod at fellow Ame-nin as they pass them. Most recognize "Jackie the Ripper" from the glowing eyes alone, but are wise enough to keep their thoughts to themselves. "Well, they should be appearing any second now. Desperation is in the air." The city was drenched in rain. A dreary landscape that could hinder most positive spirits. The atmosphere is bleak and decaying, decades of dismay and lack of repairs has rendered the once proud technological giant a shell of its former self. The people seemed to match the atmosphere itself, broken, hungry and tired. They have been decimated by not just the war, but starvation and disease that has run rampant as a byproduct of the starvation. At the head of it all are two leaders, once considered among the most threatening combatants and terrorists in the land. Now, they’re as weakened and defenseless as the people they give their all to protect. They were tending to some of the sick when they averted their gaze to the two individuals entering the city, as did the people who were all waiting to be treated. They didn’t have the strength, nor the energy to determine if the two were a threat, but the leaders, Jitoku and Honrui, recognized them as hailing from Amegakure. As Jitoku gets up from the muddy ground, she dusts herself off, approaching the two individuals. “I take it you’re not here to attack us. You would have went on the offensive by now if you did. What brings you two to Atogakure? There’s nothing we can really offer in these trying times, I’m afraid. We’re undergoing extensive recovery efforts to try and move on from our failures. However we can.” She speaks up. There was a sense of weakness and a deep tiredness in her voice, as if she hasn’t slept properly in weeks. And it showed upon her face. Her eyes were marked with purple and sunken, her cheeks were gaunt. A far cry from the powerful, nigh unstoppable Jashinist she once was. All the same, that hint of tiredness and weakness in her voice belied a deep sorrow, a silent mourning of the people she continues to lose from starvation and disease. The ruins of city rose as they left the main thruway. As taller figure had noted, desperation lived in the air itself. That was not the only thing present, however; despair, the ravages of disease, starvation and decomposition were present too. It seemed burying the dead came at a premium inhabitants couldn't afford. The sing-song figure whistled. "This place smells!" they proclaimed, as the two continued their leisurely trek. The figure then noticed several individuals huddled in the city's outcrop, before one stands and starts walking towards them. The taller figure removed their hood, revealing a red-eyed woman with jet-black hair. "No, we're not. You'd be dead already if that were the case...though such a thing looks like a mercy given this," she shakes her head in disappointment. Truth be told, Misora's interest in slaughter waned the moment she saw what was in front of her. It was pathetic; there was no point in wasting energy on destroying something like this. The second figure removed her hood, before offering a grin. "Hi! The name's Akarui Raika! We're here to negotiate on behalf of Amegakure! Though...you look like you can need all the help you can get," Rui noted, closing the gap between herself and the approaching Jitoku. "Misora. You're the thieves terrorizing the road right? I'll be blunt. Wiping out this place wouldn't take much effort, and would be the easy fix, but our leader like to challenge themselves. So....what do you need?" "I'm Jitoku, and the one next to me is my assistant and second-in-command, Honrui. And we were. But the caravans are heavily guarded nowadays, so we had to give up thieving. There's a lot we need, but the most basic resources we need are food and medicine. If we can build up some strength, we can look for the irrigation system, hopefully redirect a lot of this rainfall and keep it from drowning our crops, or at the very least, build our own system if we can't find the old one, maybe even set up some greenhouses to protect the crops from the excess rain. We don't want to be more of a burden, we're already too much of one as it is." Jitoku replies. As she leads them around the city with Honrui at her side, showing the two the destitution of the surroundings, she looks around at her people, still supporting her to the end, leaving Jitoku with a heavy and broken heart. "All I want is to turn these peoples' lives around. They deserve that much. It's my fault they're in the position they're in right now, and I have to do everything I can to make amends for my mistakes. These people don't deserve this. Before I came along, they never killed anyone. They robbed people, yes, but never had the thought of killing been on their mind. Until I turned them to Jashinists. Now, with their powers gone and their status back to lowly bandits, they won't stand a chance without turning a new leaf. I know you're taking a huge risk doing this. The smaller villages were ordered to give supplies to us, as well, but the offerings were small, and didn't last long enough to help gets us back on our feet. It wasn't long before they stopped entirely, and because it was forced on them, I'm sure we've made more enemies, an outcome I have been hoping to avoid. All it would take is one spark from one of those villages for them to come beating down our door and cutting us down." Jitoku looks down at one of the dead, one that had died not even an hour ago. "We can't even properly bury our people, not just because of the lack of strength, but because of the water washing the mud away." Turning back towards Misora and Akarui she dries her eyes before returning to a staunch and determined vision. She was heartbroken, but as long as she could still stand, she wasn't going to give up on her people, no matter how much her strength began to wane. And she wasn't going to die on them, because death would be too easy, and it would leave them without a strong leader. "If you can help get us back on our feet, we'll support Amegakure however we can. I want to train these people, see if they have any elemental affinities, turn their lives around and help make them protectors of our city and beyond and into proper people, ones who don't have to resort to banditry to get by." Misora took stock of the influx of information. In some ways, she felt this was as much a test for her as it was of the people leading her around. Sure, she had come a long way from her "murdering of innocents", but her reputation in Ame, even if she was considered a hero, was still based on wholesale slaughter. Never mind other villages coming to take care of this; the grounds and the people that lived on it were so pitiful that she could finish things herself. All it would take was making use of the elements around her. But that wasn't the point of this trip. "So your backs are against the wall in more ways than one. Nature beating down on you, resentful villages eager to put a hurting on the ones they were forced to aid, no longer able to rely on your revenue stream because well, there's people like me guarding it." Akarui nodded. "That's quite the pickle you have there! But first things first...we'll need to do something about this rain!" Her chakra builds suddenly, first as a pressure, than an aura. She actively lets it leak out of her system, discharging the amount she had spent the past day building and building. Releasing fully, it covers the ruined city. "Rain Tiger at Will Technique activate!" As soon as she makes the seal, the rains slow to a drizzle, then spitting, then stopping completely. The clouds lighten to wisps as the sun starts to break through, rays touching upon building after building. Aka whooped. "It worked! I'm glad Hinobe showed me before we left. Too bad I don't have dad's powers: now that would be sick. Now, let's get to the fun part: negotiations. We need numbers; how many there are, how many sick, what they're sick with, stuff like that." Analytics were Honrui's speciality. She had been silent for the majority of the confrontation, but upon hearing about the numbers, she stepped forward. Looking up at the clear sky, she took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the sunlight, something she hadn't seen all her life, having been born and raised in Atogakure. "Our numbers once started out at three thousand, six hundred and forty seven. But the war, and post-war effects have dwindled us down to two thousand, one hundred and thirty one. The main diseases are cholera due to infected water supplies caused by a lack of proper irrigation, and anemia, beriberi, pellagra and scurvy being caused by vitamin deficiencies due to starvation. We cover a radius of one hundred and forty eight square miles. The city itself is five hundred and seven square miles in size, but we cannot access the center of the city due to large amounts of debris surrounding the city center, so we all took residence here, in the safest, outer circle of the city." Honrui speaks up, adjusting her glasses, which have been scratched and cracked since the end of the war. Her vision isn't as sharp anymore due to the damaged glasses, but her mental capabilities have not faltered. Akarui nods, filing away each number as they came. "So forty percent plus population loss, water-born diseases and nutrient deficiency diseases, and at least the center of the city is inaccessible due to war...which means it could be a fertile ground for more disease thanks to vermin and other scavengers. Emergency rations for about 2,500 to start. We'll need to bury any dead bodies immediately as they're prime carriers for further disease. Failing that, we'll need to burn them. Same with the ruined city center; clearing out debris and any potential disease hotspots will be essential," she responded, her cheery facade fading to cold calculation. At this part, Misora let her daughter take the wheel, watching Aka respond to Honrui's precision in kind. "It sounds like this irrigation system is the most important bit though. One less source of disease, and it'll help increase food-security and self-sufficiency right?" "That's correct. But our biggest concern is we don't know where the system's at. We only know it's somewhere near the center, as we excavated the other outer city limits in the past. Even before the war, the city center had been mostly in ruins. It had been part of its own civil war at least a century ago, which is what led to the city's eventual abandonment. The current war just made it worse. We fear the irrigation system may be trapped under large amounts of debris, but none of us can get through the city center. We honestly don't even know what's hiding in the center. The earliest leaders of Atogakure after it became a bandit outpost forbade anyone from going to the city center. We always heard stories of monsters hiding out in there, but most of us that were old enough saw them as cautionary tales to keep us out. The real dangers are going to be vermin and any scavengers foolish enough to go there, yes. There's a lot of untapped scavenge that could potentially be of use, as well. Whatever we can find that's beneficial in any way will help tremendously. If I have the strength, I may be able to use my Steel Release to at least move some of the more metallic debris, and potentially any stone debris with rebar still inside. But any debris without metal in it will require someone with Earth Release skills." Honrui replies. The two were quick to set up what preparations would be necessary, and Honrui felt more at ease being put in a logistics scenario where she could stretch her mental muscles. She always felt more confident when faced with a problem that needed to be solved with logistical thinking, and it was her specialty during the war. It's how she kept casualties to a minimum during, and after the war. But even logistics can only go so far against starvation and disease. "So the city center is the key. Not just earth release users..but some targeted use of fire release could help clear things. Sadly neither of those are my specialties," Mis added. Akarui sighed. "Me neither; I never learned. Is there anyone you know that might be able to help, ma?" "Hmmmm....It would have to be TK's family. They have no shortage of fire users, and there's a couple of earth users too," Miso mused, "before any of that though, we need to get you and your people back on their feet. Otherwise the dream of a cleared out city center will be just that....a dream." "That's right! What about what's her name....Sui? Smi? Sumira!! She could help with clean-up! She's good with both of those elements!" the cheerful Akarui returned in force, seeing a potential starting point on the horizon. "Again, we'd need to ask TK who'd have to ask her. I don't know her schedule." "If you need a Fire Release user, you're looking at one of the best in this area. I can clear out a large portion of the weaker debris wherever I can. But you're right. Until we're back to strength, there's not a whole lot we'll be able to do. So let's take things one step at a time. Who knows; maybe some of these people are capable of using Fire Release that would be able to help once their strength has come back." Jitoku replies. She could feel the sense of burden becoming lighter with each discussion, a chance to finally bring the city back to its former glory. One where no one has to resort to thievery to get by. Where people can turn the city into a place to practice their once hidden professions. It was a start, and it's more than Jitoku could have hoped for. Akarui grinned. "True!! But first, where are the healthiest people among you? Those are the ones we want to get back into shape first, because then we can start doing things to make this place greeaaaat!!" She could see hope starting to spring in Jitoku's expression, causing the woman's grin to widen. Misora nodded. "We need to bring the emergency rations here first, along with medical personnel. We also need to find the source of the waterborne disease and destroy it, otherwise it'll keep coming back and put a drain on resources." "Well, that sets up the template. Food, medicine, clean-up, disease control, and irrigation system. Then we celebrate!" "Yes, but there is one thing we'll need to take into consideration. We're enemies with a large portion of the surrounding villages in this area. If they see us receiving supplies, it may be a turning point that forces them to go on the offensive. Last thing I want is Amegakure being dragged into a war they aren't a part of. So it would be smarter to provide the supplies in secret. There's some old smuggler's routes that haven't been used in a long time. I have kept them cleared out in case of emergency evacuations, so there's nothing in them that would be dangerous. It would keep the suppliers away from prying eyes. We obviously can't keep it a secret forever, but all we need is to keep it under the radar just long enough for us to begin the clean-up phase of the plan." - Jitoku replies, looking out to the outer walls of the village. She knows there's a lot of people out there that are understandably angry at Atogakure for having to send a bunch of former terrorists supplies. They don't see a changed populace like Jitoku and Honrui do. They see their past deeds as warring terrorists that plagued the world with fear and destruction. It's an image Jitoku still tries to shrug off every day. But with how much being severed from Jashin had corrupted hers and Honrui's appearance, she fears even if fully changed, people will still fear them. Misora raised a smirking eyebrow. "Heh. Struggling with old demons are you? Welcome to the club. I guess while you've changed a bit, I haven't really; I was perfectly content with wiping any fools that come after the supply chain off the map. But I guess your way would be a bit less messy," her smirk broadens. "It would be a diplomatic nightmare ma; our leader would have your head," Aka responded. "Well, she'd have to get in line then. Anyway, I think that takes most of the pressing matters off the board for the time being. Any other questions or concerns? Speak now or forever hold your peace." "Nothing from us. We'll do what we can from here to keep the outside villages from being aware of what's going on. They're more likely to believe a bunch of emaciated outcasts knowing they can't pose any form of threat. Everything we do will be to keep their eyes off of you for as long as it's possible. Once these people are up on their feet, this village can be the utopia I wish for it to be. One that provides safe living conditions for my people, where they can live normal lives. They never got to have that, even before I took charge. But I want to be the first to give them that. And in return, you'll have a powerful ally in whatever threats you may face in the future." Jitoku replies, providing a respecting head bow towards the village's new allies. "Sounds good! We'll get the shipments started as soon as we relay the info back to our village head. I know she'll be glad to have you on board," Akarui responded warmly, giving a head bow of her own. "My chakra will hang around for a bit, so you'll be able to see the stars tonight. Think of it as an early housewarming gift." With that, she turned, heading back the way she came, putting her hood back on. "Well, it was nice meeting you. I'm sure we'll be seeing plenty of each other in the near future," Misora added, before following her daughter out. She too, put her hood back on, preparing for the downpour that persisted just beyond the city's boundaries. Peace was always one of those concepts that was kept in the deepest recesses of Jitoku's mind. She spent almost her entire life as a Jashinist. For her, peace was the last thing that came to mind. She always thought the only thing she would ever be able to bring was war, and death. But she was no longer under Jashin's thumb, and it changed her. She began looking at the lives around her. And the moment she saw her people suffer, it was a pain she never knew she could feel. It broke her, but she couldn't shed a tear. Not during this time. She needed to be strong for her people. But as they fell one by one, it broke her heart even more, but she promised herself and Honrui she wouldn't falter. And now, she feels her determination is finally paying off. This could finally be the day she can turn her life around, and Honrui's, and all of the people who call Atogakure home. It's the first time she could truly smile with an air of compassion for life. The sun in the sky felt like the start of good things to come for Atogakure, and she wanted it to all come together as soon as possible. "Everyone, gather around. We've been hurt by the end of the war, with people seeing us enemies, constantly turning their backs on us, and for good reason. People were forced to help us, and it only incited that hatred for us even more. But now, we may finally have an ally who can help us bring this village to a new light. We may finally be able to live a life free of thievery and banditry. We can become bastions of peace and goodwill, no longer having to prove our worth by following a deity of death. This is our turning point. This is the day we throw off our shackles and be free from our old image. This is the day Atogakure is renewed." Jitoku speaks up. The people were ecstatic to hear her speech, hearing the determination in her voice once more, and they cheered upon the prospect of a new life. After they left the city's extreme limits, Akarui turned to Misora. "That went well didn't it? I should become a diplomat; being a detective's fun but chatting with leaders is cool too. Still, no slaughter means a bunch of pent-up energy," she commented. As if to demonstrate, the woman started rocking back and forth as she strolled down the road, while her eyes glowed an eerie, malevolent red. Misora snorted in amusement. "If you have that much to burn off, find Kara. I'm sure she'd be happy to help you." At this Akarui turned beet red, her rocking stopping. "Or is that not the kind of workout you were going for?" Miso's tone remained teasing. She patted her daughter's head. "There there, I'm sure she's eagerly waiting your return. I've never seen someone so clingy." "I-I-It's affection." "Right. Well, let's get this show on the road." ---- As preparation for supplies were beginning in Amegakure, in Atogakure, Honrui and Jitoku were already writing down blueprints of the city, including routes to the center of the city. Each route was meticulously detailed, including how much rubble was covering each walkway. They began discussing some of the more efficient routes with the least amount of rubble. They began theorizing where the irrigation system would have been in relation to the layout of the city. The only possible place they could see it being is at the very center of the city, where the water could spread out across it evenly and efficiently. She began determining groups of people based on their age, telling them the tasks they can do once they're up to strength and ready to work on recovery efforts. Jitoku was determined to make sure everything was planned to the letter, that everything could go off without a hitch. With Honrui's help, this was a much easier undertaking, as she knew the city's layout perfectly. The planning on their blueprints were written down to the city's exact specifications, as though they were written for the city's first founding so long ago. They were ready, now all they had to do was wait for the final go ahead from Amegakure to begin rebuilding the city into the utopia Jitoku believes it can be. Supplies. Gathering them was simple enough, as the retooling of the industrial city resulted in increased production of basic goods and essentials. Medicine wasn't too hard to come by either, thanks to stores and overflow produced under the Ame leader's watchful eye. Now came the fun part; shipping it all. Important back routes had been outlined to avoid prying eyes, but that didn't mean extra precautions couldn't be taken. Akarui nodded to some of her compatriots: all present were anbu or hunter-nin, capable of moving far and fast in with nearly no disturbance. "We'll go in shifts. Smaller parties attract less attention and increases the likelihood of at least a good percentage of the supplies in question reaching their destination. I'll spearhead the deliveries. After my party returns, we'll do another run. This will keep going until we either run out of supplies or the back road is compromised." She looked around once more, before affixing her anbu-mask. "Everyone ready? Good. Time to play postman." Aka disappeared with her bundle, her squad following suit with their own. One by one individuals disappeared until only a couple remained: guards to protect the rest of the supplies. Just because they were still in Ame territory didn't mean other villages might not get ideas. Meanwhile, Jitoku and Honrui gathered people who had the most strength, those whose starvation was only minor and were as of now unaffected by disease posted as lookout. They were posted around the outskirts of the city, acting more like citizens just stretching their legs. As they assumed their positions, they kept an eye out for anyone on the caravan routes that didn't look like the usual sorts that travel down the road. On the other side of outskirts of town were those looking towards the smugglers' routes for their Ame-nin carrying supplies. In between them are a group of them pretending to gamble to keep eyes on them should any prying eyes begin to be suspicious. The way Jitoku sees it, outsiders are more likely to notice things that go on normally throughout the village. Natural ambiance keeps focus versus things out of place. It's why some people blend in, even if they stick out in appearance. If they act the part of the crowd, they can blend in wherever they may be. And Jitoku plans to use this psychology to keep outsiders focused purely on the city's daily living. As they reached the smuggler routes in question, Akarui directed her larger squad to split up into more manageable parties of four to five. Behind her, one of the larger caravans rolled along, its presence concealed by another anbu member. "Alright, we're officially on the road," she relayed to the entire operation, using the thought channels created by her sibling, "Stay sharp and keep it moving." With that, she continued at her breakneck pace, keeping a keen eye out for any surprises or for Ato-nin. Out in the distance, the Ato-nin keeping post near the smuggler's routes noticed familiar colors approaching down the main road. As they began to close the distance, they flashed a signal in their direction notifying them of the route nearby. They hoped to get their attention to make it easier to find the routes for future travel. Within the walls, Jitoku and Honrui continue recruiting able-bodied followers to continue setting up the ruse to divert attention away from the suppliers, while also continuing to assist in the efforts in helping the weaker people with their ails however she can. She never was a doctor, never studied medicine. But she learned plenty about field medicine, and knew of some temporary aides that can alleviate the pains of starvation, so she began applying what she knew in that regard to ease their pain as they patiently await the suppliers. As Akarui saw the signal flash, she grinned behind her mask. "Alright, let's kick into high gear folks. The sooner we bring this, the sooner we can go back for another round. And then...brunch. Or breakfast." She accelerated, her team following suit as they quickly approached the waiting Ato-nin. This time, she spoke aloud, her tone cheerful. "Long time no see." She handed off the supplies she had grabbed to a few of the able-bodied ninja. Her teammates did the same, as the caravan, carrying far more than any could hold in their grasp, materialized from its hidden state. Some of the people were beginning to feel some relief from Jitoku's temporary methods, and she urged them to try and move around a bit, but not too much that it exacerbates their hunger, but enough to keep them from begin sedentary. She rubs her eyes, fighting to stay awake in her weakened state. In the distance, from the smuggler's entrance of the city, she saw the caravan moving in. As they closed in, she begins to approach them, but her strength was failing, and she nearly collapses, only avoiding the ground thanks to Honrui's quick assistance, catching her before she fell. "Please, Jitoku. You have to rest. You've been pushing yourself too far." Honrui advised, deeply concerned over Jitoku's health. Acknowledging her concerns, Jitoku gripped Honrui's hand tightly, the same determined look she had been giving her since the days of the Jashin War. "You know I can't do that. Not now. Not until these people finally get the help they deserve. If they can't rest properly, then neither will I. A true leader not only acknowledges the struggles of their people, but lets them know they're not alone by being there with them through their hardest times. A true leader shows their people that everything will be okay. And I will keep doing that until I no longer can. And that won't happen until I breathe my last breath." Jitoku replies. As she gets herself back on her feet, she approaches the caravan, helping bring the supplies to her people. Honrui was deeply inspired by Jitoku's actions, but also tremendously concerned over her health and well-being. She feared Jitoku was going to push herself too far, but she couldn't harbor those concerns now. She had work to do. She begins assisting Jitoku with the supply efforts. Akarui waved the caravan through. Other groups under her command followed, bringing more caravans with them. They pushed through the entryway slowly but steadily, spreading out once they were safely within the city's confines. Akarui continued to count both the number of caravans and the anbu accompanying them as they went through, not keen on losing anyone or anything. "Alright boys and girls, we have another run to make. With that the good time from this one, and everyone doing a little extra, this should be our last spurt for this aid package. Well, let's go to it." She disappeared, along with several others. No longer carrying the aid in question, they were able to make better time, speeding towards the collection point for another retrieval. While the Ame-nin departed Atogakure quickly to begin the second batch of supplies, Jitoku and Honrui quickly began distributing the supplies they were given, lining people up from weakest to strongest, to ensure those who needed aid the most got it as soon as possible. Jitoku was having great difficulties with some of the heavier packaging, but she made sure her people couldn't see her struggling, keeping on a brave face as she handed the people their much needed aid. Akarui skidded to a stop in front of the guards, wagging a finger as one yawned. "Hey, no sleeping on the job. I ought to string you up." The anbu forces spread out, depleting the pile as they divvied up who was carrying what, while loading the remaining caravans. SHe waited patiently as things were ordered, provided directions as needed. "Ready? Good." Akarui switched to the thought channels as they prepared to leave. Part of her was satisfied with the smoothness of transit. The smugglers' roads were a good idea. The supplies were beginning to thin, but so was the line of people waiting for those supplies. They were grateful and began eating their fill of supplies. It was a feeling of great relief for Jitoku seeing her people finally get the aid they needed for so long. It was the one moment where she could no longer hold her tears back, resorting to digging her head in Honrui's shoulder to keep her people from seeing her cry. But they were tears of joy, of a long awaited relief, like a weight has been pulled off her shoulders. Now that they knew the way, and had established checkpoints, the trip back to Atogakure was much faster and smoother. That didn't mean Akarui or the larger anbu contingent dropped their guards; she was of the mind that the moment you became comfortable, that's when things would go sideways. For now, making sure the supplies made took priority over any relaxing. The first caravan of the second round would roll into the city limits, Akarui not too far behind. "Keep going. I'll make sure the rest get to the city limits and beyond." The Anbu nodded, pushing the caravan along while others appeared over the road's bend. "Good. Pick up the pace guys, you're almost there." she shouted encouragingly down the thought channel. The last of the first batch of supplies had been dutifully carried out to the people. While there were still people in need, it was mostly the stronger ones left who were willing to both wait for the next batch and were also helping distribute the remaining supplies to those in need. Jitoku, having helped with the largest bulk of the supplies, sits down, resting her tired body as she fights to continue staying awake. Honrui sat down next to her as Jitoku rested her head upon her faithful assistant’s shoulder. Honrui believed the next batch of supplies should arrive faster due to familiarity with the routes and the setting up of checkpoints, so Honrui wanted Jitoku to rest as much as possible while they waited for the next caravan. Right Honrui was. When Akarui has ascertained that every bit of the second round of supplies had been gathered at the city limits, began the triumphant march forward. "We have returned bearing more gifts!!" she proclaimed as she spurred the caravans to greater speed. Once the caravans were safely in range of the gathered, yet still semi-dispersed citizens, Akarui gave a dismissed signal. On cue, several of the anbu phased out, body flickering back to Ame now that the heavy lifting had been done for the time being. A small group remained with her, primarily for assistance. As Honrui gets up, she grabs Jitoku by the hand, lifting her back up on her feet. One last push, and then they can finally get their own fill. It seemed like no time passed at all as the rest of the supplies were handed out. Everyone had their fill of supplies with extras to spare. There was a sense of peace and immense joy within Jitoku as she saw everyone eating a proper meal, with their supplies being cooked by some of the village’s former premier chefs. To see them have a nice cooked meal again, it was enough to give her hopen. As everyone slowly got their fill, it was down to Jitoku and Honrui, who requested they’d get theirs last. With the surplus of supplies, the chefs also prepared meals for the caravaners who helped bring the supplies in, confident that they’ll have more than enough to last them for quite some time. As Jitoku and Honrui ate into their fill, they felt a sense of home again. No longer worrying about what the next day is going to look like. They could finally start looking towards the future instead of worrying if the present was going to be their last Akarui sat down next to them, her anbu fixed to the side of her head so she could eat properly. "A good feeling isn't it? There's more where that came from, but we decided to keep it around your population numbers so we could get here fast." She watched a few of the remaining anbu walk around stiffly, not used to the large crowd. "You'll have to excuse them; they're used to working in the dead of night as hunting operatives, not sitting around sharing a meal." “I understand. A lot of our scouts were like that. They chose to keep to themselves most of the time and usually are alone during mealtime.” Jitoku replies, taking a drink from the fresh water supplies to them. It was refreshing seeing Honrui smile again, something she hadn’t seen in two years. “With these supplies, our people will be strong again. We’ll be able to start tearing down these structurally unstable buildings, hopefully finding the irrigation system in the process. Once we do, I plan on using the materials to build new structures, ones more closer to the ground.” Honrui speaks up, cleaning her mouth with a napkin in hand as she takes a drink from water "Good plan. Have you decided which buildings are first on the chopping block? And do you have any strategies for if you stumble upon a..less than pleasant surprise? Considering most of them have been uninhabited for years at least." Akarui took another bite of her food before stretching her legs out. “We approach the buildings in question at multiple angles. As the buildings begin to collapse, threat ascertention begins. Any threats will be attacked by ranged infantry. Those that disperse will be surrounded and either killed off if they’re wild beasts, or will be given the ultimatum to either join forces, or leave the city if they’re village outcasts. I have planned for at least seventy different contingencies for every form of building in the city, including the ways the building could fall to eliminate the threat of injury or death via falling debris.” Honrui replies, finishing her meal. Jitoku finishes in turn, waiting for Honrui to finish her plans. She always enjoyed hearing Honrui’s strategies; they were the Jashinists’ strongest asset during the war. She wasn't the only one interested. Akarui leaned in, having devoured the last of her sandwich. "Ooooo, this sounds juicy. Go on go on, I want to hear more. Maybe I can help with pest extermination," she responded, tapping her finger against her cheek thoughtfully, "That's right, I never did tell you what my cup of tea was. You both already gave me an idea of yours." As soon as Akarui remembered this, she started itching to show them, standing up suddenly. Though, there were no targets to use it on since only her comrades and villagers were around them. Realizing this, she sat back down with a harrumph. "Sorry about that. Do go on." As Honrui reaches her hand from behind the table, a map flies directly into her hand. She was able to pull it to her thanks to the iron in the ink. She opens the map, revealing a massive layout of the buildings, with exact size, dimension and weight written down for each of the several buildings in the city center. “We perform the task in groups. Each area will be divided into prefectures that will be tackled by groups of twenty a piece. That should be more than enough to demolish the buildings, with fifteen overlooking the demolition efforts and five providing ranges support, placed at strategic angles to keep any undesirables from attacking the demolition crews. Depending one how successful each attempt is, it could take as little as a two days to bring the old buildings down.” Honrui spoke, pointing at each point of the map with the most structurally unstable buildings as she laid out her plan step by step. Akarui studies the map intensely, before a slow grin creeps onto face. "Hmm..sounds well-organized. Good number breakdown. What methods are you thinking of when it comes to the demolition itself? Fire? Wind? Earth? Controlled explosions? Ooo, maybe a blast of lightning. That would be fun," she began, rattling off ideas. While fully aware they were destructive and may not be the most efficient way, the joy of sweeping away the old emphatically and replacing it with the new took priority. “My main plan was weakening the foundation with Earth Release, having the building collapse under its own weight. I thought of the idea of more invasive methods like fire and explosions, but I’d like to keep as much of the material intact. I can remold the material and reuse it to create our new infrastructure. Once the buildings are taken care of, new foundations can be built to begin working on the next phase.” Honrui replied. Once again, she pulls another map to her, this one with newer, smaller buildings compared to the towering skyscrapers that litter the village now. It looked peaceful and had many aesthetically pleasing buildings. “I had been working on this project since I was six years old. It was mostly a hobby since I felt it was more of a pipe dream than anything else. With the glass that’s still intact, I can reheat it and mold it into the arched glass windows you see on some of the buildings here.” Akarui whistled. "Lots of elbow grease then. That's right, you're a Steel Release user. Remolding leftover materials should be child's play," she said before smirking, "dreams are meant to be realized. All you have to do is figure out how to realize them and well...here we are doing that step by step. Do you have a tentative date for demolition days?" She stretched, touching her toes before wiggling them.